New Delhi, March 18 Nearly 1,000 Indians are still in Iran amidst the ongoing conflict in West Asia, while 23,000 school students in the Gulf region were unable to appear in the CBSE final examinations due to the turmoil.
This was conveyed by the Ministry of External Affairs to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs during a meeting held here on Wednesday.
"Well, there are about 1,000 still in Iran, but not all of them necessarily wish to leave," said Shashi Tharoor, chairman of the committee, to reporters after the meeting.
The Congress leader said that Class 10 and Class 12 students in the Gulf region have been unable to take their ongoing CBSE final examinations.
"I asked if any steps could be taken to address their situation. And I gathered that there have already been consultations between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Education regarding ensuring that CBSE makes arrangements for the 23,000 students in the Gulf who were unable to take the exams," he said.
Tharoor said the meeting had comprehensive discussions on West Asia, and all attendees, including MPs, had questions and concerns about the overall situation, the impact, the safety and security of Indian nationals, the diaspora, oil and gas supplies, etc.
"We got some answers. We didn't get all. The foreign secretary was not available," he said.
Sources said that members asked questions related to "India's silence" on condemning the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and "condoling the deaths of civilians," but no answer came from the Ministry of External Affairs officials.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri did not attend the meeting.
Sources said that there were no answers to the questions related to India's energy security, what is India's stand on US President Donald Trump's call for international forces to protect the Strait of Hormuz, and what message has been conveyed to the Indian diplomatic missions on condemnation and condolences.
Asked whether the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel just before the conflict started was discussed, Tharoor said it was also raised, but he could not go into internal discussions of the committee.
He said that the situation in the Gulf countries is that it is fairly easy to come in and out by commercial means, and flights are operating out of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, with less activity from Qatar and Bahrain.
"Otherwise, anyone can come and go. It is no longer a question of being stranded. But there are still other complications," he said.
The Congress leader said that the well-being of the Indian diaspora was also discussed, and questions were also asked about the number of ships stuck with petroleum, but the Ministry of External Affairs officials did not have an exact number, but there are a few.
Tharoor also said that the second part of the meeting was on the AI Impact Summit, its consequences, its implications for India's tech diplomacy, as well as for relations with countries in the Global South.
"So, it was a good, comprehensive, thorough meeting," he said.
